Does Crime Pay..... (Better Than T.V. Presenting)? (The Real Hustle)

Member Name: eyedo6789

Product:	The Real Hustle
Date:	28/03/09 (67 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Learn How To Be A Criminal Or How Not To Be A Victim (You Choose Which)

Disadvantages: Can You Believe Everything You See On T.V.?

The Real Hustle is a BBC television programme that stars Paul Wilson, Alex Conran and Jessica-Jane Clement.

It shows how confidence tricks, scams, cheating at cards and casino games and proposition bets can be pulled off to con people or businesses out of money, services or goods.

Paul Wilson is a magician, card sleight of hand expert and scam expert who has put all of these skills (not learned for criminal means) to great and award winning use in Hollywood where he has acted as a consultant and sometimes appeared in numerous films and productions.

In some hustles on the show he calls himself "Rob Marks"; in hustle speak a "mark" is the person who the hustler is targeting.

Alex Conran is an actor and magician.

In some hustles in the show he calls himself "Ian Steel" or "I Steel".

Jessica-Jane Clement is an actress and TV presenter.

Similarly she is sometimes known in the show as "Sue Windle" or "S Windle"

The show is conceived and written by Paul Wilson and Alex Conran.

In many of the hustles shown, Paul (who is about 40, slightly portly, has a beard and a well spoken Scottish accent) plays an authority figure such as a police detective or an average office worker in a suit.

Often Alex (Who looks mid 30s and is slim, quiet tall, good looking and well spoken) plays a smooth talking charmer or an ultra polite gentleman in need of assistance or some kind of favour.

Jess (Jessica-Jane), (who is young, petite, non threatening looking, with model looks and a sweet Sheffield accent) often plays the sweet innocent feminine roles or the girlfriend or wife of Alex.

The roles above are, if you like, their most common general roles in the scams that they play on people but it can vary depending on the structure of the hustle.

All of the scams are filmed using secret cameras and after each scam is over the person or persons scammed are told what has happened and that it was just for TV and are given their money or goods back. This part is filmed too and you get to see people's gob smacked reactions.

There have been a few series of this very good programme and I have watched maybe 50 of them, each of which have 5 or 6 separate scams on them. I'll give a few examples of some of the ones I can recall............

......... and remember kids do not try these as you WILL go to jail!! (Paul Wilson says this phrase at the end of each show)

On second thoughts I won't go through the scams as I don't want to be responsible in any way for somebody else's life of crime. Needless to say that the scams are well planned and executed and if there are any that were not successfully carried out by The Real Hustle team then they did not choose to show them on the programme.

I think that this is a high quality show that is very well made, fast moving and in some instances really does educate the viewer about how to avoid certain scams. Some scams are demonstrated to be so unbelievably easy for criminals to do that it is frightening.

Fortunately after each scam is over the team does explain some simple steps that you can take to protect yourself from being a victim of the scam. Sometimes there is advice too from a senior police detective who has investigated such crimes.

There isn't really a negative about this programme.

I am not sure how many more series they will be able to make using the same team of hustlers because the show is now quiet well known and surely many new "marks" will immediately recognize the faces of Paul, Alex and Jess. I know I would.

Summary: This Is A Must See In My Opinion